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A total of 113 individual councils responded to the 2018 State of Local Government Finance survey, representing a third of all English local authorities.

Exact amounts are yet to be agreed at most authorities - but council tax can be hiked by up to three percent this year, in line with inflation, before a referendum is triggered, while authorities can also levy an additional "precept" to raise money for spending on social care.

Council tax bill

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of think tank LGiU, which conducted the research with The Municipal Journal, said: "Councils are on the edge. They are for the most part holding services together (though a significant minority are not).

"But they can only do this this by raising council tax, increasing charging and draining their reserves.

"The system is unsustainable."

Local Government Association chairman Lord Porter said: "Some councils continue to be pushed perilously close to the financial edge.

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"Many will have to make tough decisions about which services have to be scaled back or stopped altogether to plug funding gaps.

"Extra council tax raising powers will helpfully give some councils the option to raise some extra income but will not bring in enough to completely ease the financial pressure they face.

"This means many councils face having to ask residents to pay more council tax while offering fewer services as a result."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Our finance settlement strikes a balance between relieving growing pressure on local government whilst ensuring that hard-pressed taxpayers do not face excessive bills.

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"We have listened to representations made from councils and delivered on these with extra funding.

"Overall councils will see a real-term increase in resources over the next two years, more freedom and fairness and with a greater certainty to plan and secure value for money.

"We are also delivering on our commitment to give councils more control over the business rates they raise locally - with millions of pounds staying in communities and being spent on local priorities."